way to start a conversation with strangers. Thomas says that this phrase is based in real life, as a one-time friend of his often used a similar line to meet women. He is also prone to saying "Daddy's Home" as either a chat-up line or for grand entrances, and "True Story" as an ending to stories or theories that are generally erroneous. Barney often uses the phrase "Challenge accepted" when someone mentions an outlandish task that supposedly cannot be done; he takes this as a personal challenge and attempts, usually successfully, to perform the task. Reception According to The Early Show, Barney is one of the main reasons that the show has been a success. Maclean's stated that Barney is the show's most popular character and explains that the most likeable characters are often those with the best catchphrases. In 2006, TV Land named Barney's "Suit Up" one of the 100 Best Catchphrases. Barney's signature phrase is one of only four from contemporary television shows, as writers are now less likely to have a character repeat a phrase in many episodes. In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named him one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years. Paste included him in their list of the 20 Best Characters of 2011, ranking him No. 4. From 2007 to 2010, Harris was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work playing Barney. In 2008, Fireside published The Bro Code. Ostensibly written by Stinson, although actually penned by Matt Kuhn, a writer for the show, the book reveals the code by which the character supposedly lives his life (though he has been shown disregarding and/or violating a large portion of the articles in the book). Oxford Dictionaries recognized Stinson as "the quintessence of a certain iteration of the contemporary bro" and noted how his language uses the word literally. References Bibliography External links Barney Stinson on IMDb Barney's Blog How I Met Your Mother characters Fictional gamblers Fictional stage magicians Television characters introduced in 2005 Fictional characters from New York City Fictional businesspeople Narcissism in television American male characters in television Fictional characters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder